It’s back to school season here at Young Adulting! For those of you returning to your studies, we hope your first classes back were not too much of a shock to the system, and for those starting a new program, congratulations on surviving your first week! We hope the following weeks bring new ideas, new friends and some time to read for pleasure.
YAing Updates
This month we farewelled our beloved managing editor Hannah Luppe, who has been steering this ship for the past two years. We are so grateful for her generosity, enthusiasm and dedication to Young Adulting and wish her all the best with her graduation and future endeavours!
As one chapter finishes, a new one begins. We welcome Nisha Patel, our new managing editor. Nisha is the Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Edmonton. An award-winning disabled and queer artist, she is a Canadian Poetry Slam champion and holds a master of arts in cultural studies from Queen’s University. Her second book of poetry, A Fate Worse Than Death is out now with Arsenal Pulp Press. She is a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal and the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund. She is currently finishing her master of fine arts in creative writing. Her website is nishapatel.ca, and you can find her online @anothernisha.
Author Spotlight
September’s author spotlight shines on Michelle Wang, a teacher and author born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Her It Must BeSeasons series of picture books have won numerous nominations and awards, including the 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Award and the Southern California Book Festival Award for It Must Be Autumn. Hannah Luppe spoke to Michelle about her most recent picture book, Oma’s Bag, which is described as “a love letter to her husband and their four children, as well as for all those families who have loved ones living with dementia.”
As I saw Opa’s sadness contrasted by the laughter and exuberance of my husband and children interacting with Oma, I realized: maybe she wasn’t exactly the same person as before, but this version of Oma was and we could still have fun together and enjoy the stories she loved to tell. We could meet Oma where she was and continue to make beautiful memories with her. Oma’s Bag became the answer I wished I had given my father-in-law that first morning.
The underlying message of Oma’s Bag – that the happiness and love we feel today become the memories we hold onto tomorrow – is one that I hope all readers (whether touched by Alzheimers or not) will take away from this book.
“This book was a joy to read. It does a great job of highlighting humorous moments for both kids and adults, with enough potty jokes for the little ones and enough sarcasm to even make a grown up snicker. One would not think about the absurdity of a dog park until this author brings it up from an outsider’s perspective.” Jacqueline Thomas reviews Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story By Lucy Ruth Cummins
“Qayum’s storytelling is straightforward and direct. She refrains from exploring the inner terrains of her characters’ minds, or using literary devices to convey the gravity of grief and pain. Instead, she states the facts of the events of their lives using a subdued tone, and that in itself is enough to put readers in the characters’ shoes.” Sumaiya Matin reviews Zia’s Story by Shahnaz Qayumi, illus. Nahid Kazemi
As always, check back every Thursday and every other Tuesday for more reviews of upcoming and new releases.
Industry News
FOLD Kids Book Fest is an annual literary festival dedicated to engaging young readers, inspiring future writers, and empowering incredible educators. This year, the festival will run from November 5-9, and includes both virtual and in person storytelling events and workshops. Registration opens on September 25. Click here for more information.
Word Vancouver is back again! The official opening gala for this year’s festival will be an evening of readings, music, laughter, and mingling on September 21st. Tickets for the gala are available here. Festival events will be held the following week on September 28th, with both in person and online sessions available.Click here for more information.
Applications for Annick Press’ mentorship program are now open! This yearly mentorship program supports works in progress of emerging, underrepresented writers whose access to children’s publishing may have been limited. The deadline to submit your application is September 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM, EST. See this page aor more information, eligibility criteria and application forms.
Annick Press is also open for submissions of picture books, early chapter books, middle grade fiction, YA fiction, graphic novels, and non-fiction for kids of all ages. Illustrators are encouraged to submit their portfolios for consideration. Read through the Annick Press submission guidelines here.
As always, please do send us your news related to children’s and young adult literature at young.adulting@ubc.ca so we can feature them in future newsletters. Our newsletter is published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. And remember to keep up with us on Twitter and Instagram!
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